Bowls Preview, Part 1

by Big Al

The bowl season is here! Actually, it started on Saturday. Something like an hour after the regular season ended. That's just stupid.

On the topic of Washington-Boise State in the LA Bowl, I didn't even know that there was a bowl game on Saturday night. I didn't forget, I didn't know. And I'd tell you who I would have picked, but I don't actually know who I would have picked. I like to think I would have picked Washington, but I don't know that.

Also, I was sorry to see Prairie View A&M lose in their bowl game, which was held for two FCS HBCU schools. I have less of a problem with this than the LA Bowl, because they are FCS and they don't usually do bowls. Anyway, I remember Prairie View A&M and their ~80-game(?) losing streak, so I was happy to see them not only have a really good year, but get featured in the Cricket Celebration Bowl. But when they missed that field goal that would have won the game in the second overtime, I knew how that story was going to end. Seen it before, I'll see it again, and it never gets easier to watch.

One Additional Thought

Man alive, there have been a lot of rematches this year:

• Washington State-Oregon State in the Pac-12 regular season (because they're the only two teams in the conference as of now)
• Kennesaw State-Jacksonville State in the Conference USA Championship
• Boise State-UNLV in the Mountain West Championship
• Western Michigan-Miami in the MAC Championship
• BYU-Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship
• Georgia-Alabama in the SEC Championship
• Duke-Virgina in the ACC Championship

I feel like there's one I'm missing, but I can't figure out where or how.

But seriously, what the heck? Championship game rematches are actually really rare, because a loss in a regular-season matchup often knocks the loser out of the race, even if they are the second-best team in the conference. And at least two of those rematches above shouldn't have happened, because one team was decidedly not the second-best team in the conference. So yeah, maybe we'll call 2025 The Rematch Year. Because we've got more coming.

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Troy vs. Jacksonville State

I got no idea. But I'll go with Troy, just to make a pick.

StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Old Dominion vs. South Florida

As much as I like Byrum Brown and South Florida, they are going into the bowls with some disruption at the top. Old Dominion is not, and I really like what Old Dominion is doing on the football field. So I'll take Old Dominion.

68 Ventures Bowl
Louisiana vs. Delaware

What the hell is 68 Ventures? Anyway, I'm taking Louisiana.

Xbox Bowl
Missouri State vs. Arkansas State

Isn't the Xbox going the way of the Intellivision? Well, at least we get a bowl game out of them. I'll take Missouri State because, um, they are farther north than Arkansas.

Myrtle Beach Bowl
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan

Hey, I actually know where this bowl is being held! No idea where Kennesaw State is, though. So I'll take them to win.

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs. NC State

I actually know where this game is being held too, because Gasparilla is some sort of Tampa thing where everybody asks every year, "What is Gasparilla?" And nobody ever knows. I can't remember if it's been explained to me or not. I can't even remember if anybody in Tampa knows what it is. Either way, I'll take NC State, since the ACC could use something not embarassing to happen.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
Alabama at Oklahoma

As to whether this is the first rematch of the bowl season, I don't know. But here we go again.

Anyway, Oklahoma deserves this bid, but Alabama does not. I have made my thoughts known on that. But I also think that everyone is overlooking Alabama, which plays into their favor. A couple weeks of rest are definitely in order for the Tide after that schlocking from Georgia. So I'll take Alabama in what should be an upset win, but actually isn't, according to Vegas.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
Tulane at Ole Miss

And our second rematch of the bowl season. This is just crazy.

Ole Miss is my dark horse pick for the title. Why? Because Ole Miss is talented and has something to prove to their dickhead ex-coach who left them as they were going to the playoffs. Will that galvanize them, or will that deflate them? Nobody knows. Even the players don't know. And even they won't know until December 20 when they bang heads with Tulane for the second time. Regardless of what Ole Miss does the rest of the postseason, I'm confident they can beat the same team they beat 45-10 on September 22.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
Miami at Texas A&M

It's not a rematch! But it is the matchup of the only two teams to beat Notre Dame. Which is interesting, if meaningless.

I can't get a handle on this game. The best win for both teams was against Notre Dame. Texas A&M somehow missed every playoff team in the SEC and Vanderbilt, then capped off the year with a loss to Texas that pushed them out of the SEC championship game.

Miami has a few decent wins, but somehow dropped games to Louisville and SMU. And they never played Virginia, Duke, or Georgia Tech. Whoever wins this game will have their second-best win of the year.

Anyway, I'm not sold on Texas A&M's ability to bounce back from that Texas loss (and yes, I know Ohio State's run last year should ease my worries there) and I have confidence in Miami's defense to keep Texas A&M's offense under wraps long enough for their offense to figure things out. Miami is my pick.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
James Madison at Oregon

These two teams have absolutely no connection whatsoever. Which is oddly noteworthy this playoff season. Regarding the football game, I think James Madison is abolutely going to make Oregon work for it for at least a half, but Oregon will finish with the win.

FCS Championship - Semifinals
Montana at Montana State

Yes, I know that I don't know diddly about the FCS, but we went on vacation to Yellowstone National Park (as well as some other spots) this past summer. We flew out of Bozeman, Montana. During the trip, my kid decided he wanted a hat from every state we went to. So now he has a Montana State hat that he wears quite a lot. Darn right I'm rooting for Montana State in this game. I'll even pick them in deference to the hat.